


Caught in the Web

by Iwaizumistooru (lookingbetterinblack)



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Best Friends, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-04
Updated: 2020-09-04
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:14:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26266321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lookingbetterinblack/pseuds/Iwaizumistooru
Summary: Hanamaki and Matsukawa are friends. Best friends even, you could say. Their friendship built on shared interests, a web of memories and habits knit over the years they have known each other, expanding and strengthening through hardships, failures and wins. A net of links that are connecting them. A web, they can rely on, that supports them, knowing they do not have to hold back, do not have to overthink on how to behave. The boundaries of their friendship giving them security and comfort.Despite the caution, the bounds of their friendship are slowly enveloping them, keeping them tied up in the web they built over the years. Both of them get tangled more and more, strands tightening with every step, when they catch themselves wishing they could stop being friends and progress into something else instead.
Relationships: Hanamaki Takahiro & Matsukawa Issei, Hanamaki Takahiro/Matsukawa Issei
Comments: 2
Kudos: 53
Collections: Seijoh Week 2020





	Caught in the Web

Hanamaki and Matsukawa are friends. Best friends even, you could say. Their friendship built on shared interests, a web of memories and habits knit over the years they have known each other, expanding and strengthening through hardships, failures and wins. A net of links that are connecting them. A web, they can rely on, that supports them, knowing they do not have to hold back, do not have to overthink on how to behave. The boundaries of their friendship giving them security and comfort.

Their first meeting is uncomplicated and easy. It is one of those occurrences where you introduce yourself, click and at some point realise that you have been talking for hours, conversation easily flowing with shared interests. They unconsciously fall in sync with each other, forming a connection without much effort.

Their friendship starts with accommodating small quirks that turn into habits of their own eventually, slowly weaving a net of fragile links, their friendship not yet exceeding beyond first impressions.

The first few weeks, Hanamaki asks if he can borrow a pencil because he cannot find his, then continuously asks Matsukawa for a piece of paper, next if he can use his eraser. By their fifth week, Issei hands Takahiro a pencil wordlessly, the eraser pushed to the edge of his desk so it’s easier to reach. Instead of one notepad, he now carries two in his backpack. He makes Hanamaki return the spare notepad at the end of the school day _because friends keep things safe for the other._ _That‘s what friends do_ , Matsukawa tells himself.

  
  


Matsukawa grows even taller and more handsome in their second year, attracting a small group of fangirls that almost can rival Oikawa‘s. When he accepts a girl‘s confession one day, Hanamaki certainly is jealous, a ball of sadness settling in the pit of his stomach. He convinces himself that it is solely the  _ boredom of having to walk home alone instead of being accompanied by a friend _ .

Takahiro doesn‘t say anything when Issei falls back into sync with him, walking home from school a few weeks later. Issei stays silent, too. He throws his arm around the shoulders of the soft pink haired boy like he sometimes does when exams have been hard and volleyball practice even harder. A broken link restored and newly spun, a stronger connection left in place for a weaker one. 

If the embrace ends up a bit longer and a bit tighter than usual, _ it was just a way to seek comfort from his friend, _ he tells himself. 

Matsukawa asks Hanamaki to help him tape his fingers before practice a couple of times because it is so much easier if someone else does it. Eventually, Hanamaki pulls out the tape before Issei can ask, patiently waiting for him to get changed. Takahiro knows exactly which fingers to tape in which way. He reminds himself that  _ friends remember little things like that.  _

  
  


When they lose against Karasuno in their third year, coming to the realisation that their shared time at Aoba Johsai is slowly coming to an end, they sink into each other’s embrace, tears leaking into the other’s jersey. Only letting go of each other when tears are eventually soothed by the familiar scent and whispered promises to not drift apart. They‘re both convinced that it is the comfort of knowing that their friendship reaches beyond the vicinity of school, the thought of them going to last, that makes their heart pick up its pace when they allow themselves to get lost in the other hug for a while. The net they spun strengthening into something that cannot be broken that easily. 

The exhaustion of a hard match eventually makes them fall asleep while watching a movie together.  _ It is quite normal to seek out warmth while asleep, cuddling up into the familiar body of a friend, _ they tell themselves the next morning when they wake up, limbs entangled, perfectly fitted together like puzzle pieces that have been set into the right place. 

  
  


Years later when they are going out clubbing to celebrate Iwaizumi’s return to Japan, dancing and drinking the night away, Issei does not even blink when Hanamaki presses his lips to his in a brief kiss. He can smell the alcohol on Hanamaki’s breath and knows he has already reached that level of drunkenness where he is just a bit extra affectionate. Issei knows  _ how his friend gets when he drinks, knows that a stolen kiss does not mean anything. Friends endure even embarrassing drunk escapades and then keep silent about it. _

Matsukawa definitely does not glower at the scene before him when he spots Hanamaki make out with a blonde man in the middle of the dance floor shortly after. His own alcohol level rising as he takes another long sip from his beer.  _ It is simply wanting the best for a friend, _ he tries to convince himself, when he grumbles about how he would be able to kiss Hiro so much better, so much harder. Iwaizumi next to him chuckles and comments that he doesn’t doubt that.

When Iwaizumi and Matsukawa are way beyond tipsy shortly after, not having been too keen to go clubbing in the first place anyways, they collect Hanamaki and call a cab. Issei makes sure Takahiro makes it inside before he tells the driver to drive off, trying to persuade himself  _ that friends simply don’t let their drunk friends go home with a stranger and make sure they get home safely instead. _

Matsukawa not yet realising that he is making excuses, piling up a wall of new boundaries for their friendship that Hanamaki does not know about. The weaves of the web, starting to wrap around him.

  
  


The two of them go to a bar after their scheduled dinner in a casual sushi restaurant, none of them yet wanting to go home. They coincidentally meet one of Matsukawa’s colleagues who joins them for a beer. The two make inside jokes Hanamaki does not understand and talk about people he does not know. Hanamaki smiles despite his inability to relate, Matsukawa’s laugh is addicting and he has missed the sound of it. The deep chuckle reverberating in the thick net of ties they have knitted.

Takahiro’s smile slightly wavers when said colleague continues to lay his hands on Issei’s arm and back when they shake with laughter. Takahiro wishes it were his hands that touched him instead.  _ They haven’t seen each other in a while, it is only natural to miss a friend’s touch, yearning the closeness after being apart for a while,  _ he assures himself.

Hanamaki slowly comes to realise the power that a simple sound like Issei’s laugh holds over him, drawing him in and yet knowing to be cautious to not get tangled in the web.

Matsukawa lets Hanamaki move in with him “just for as long as he is between jobs”, looking for the next adventure that catches his interest, because _ „friends help out their friends and don’t let them sleep on the street, _ “ he says, helping to transfer the few belongings from Hanamaki’s flat into his spare room. Building new connections as they learn even more about each other, adapting to each other’s routines and building new ones collectively. 

Hanamaki cooks dinner - well he attempts at least - noticing how exhausted Matsukawa is after long days of work. The least he can do is take care of him, learning to do Matsukawa‘s favourite dishes. The hours he spends on reading up on recipes and watching tutorials are definitely worth it to see Issei’s tired smile when he tells Takahiro that he is indeed getting better.  _ The tingly feeling caused by his skills being acknowledged, hard work finally paying off rather than being praised and being the reason for that soft smile,  _ he reassures himself, ignoring the obvious truth. 

Matsukawa makes breakfast for the both of them and pulls up Hanamaki’s favourite show on TV on the weekends.  _ There is no better way to spend a rainy lazy Sunday with your best friend _ , he thinks, cuddled up on the sofa, soft pink hair tickling his chin, when Takahiro eventually falls asleep, his head dropping to Issei’s shoulder.

Hanamaki buys a key ring when he is out because Matsukawa constantly complains about his old one. He buys a matching one for himself and teasingly tells Matsukawa he bought couple items for them when he gets back home.  _ “Friends can have matching items, too,” _ he says when Issei is eyeing the keyring for a while before wordlessly exchanging the old against the new one.

Both of them now wading through the net hyperfocused on not losing grip, not stepping out of the ordinary, too afraid to make a wrong step and break the strands that they’ve spun.

After three weeks of living together, they still haven’t found the time or motivation to put up the bed they had bought so that Hanamaki could properly move into Matsukawa’s spare room. Since Hanamaki had injured his back, trying to heave all of the quite heavy parts of the furniture up to the third floor himself, he was slipping into bed next to Matsukawa every night.  _ What kind of friend would let their best friend sleep on an uncomfortable couch, _ Issei has thought, dropping Takahiro’s cushion and fluffy blanket on the right side of the bed, while scooting over to the left side himself. 

Despite the caution, the bounds of their friendship are slowly enveloping them, keeping them tied up in the web they built over the years. Both of them get tangled more and more, strands tightening with every step when they catch themselves wishing they could stop being friends and progress into something else instead.

When they are tightly squeezed under one umbrella walking back to Matsukawa’s apartment through pouring rain. Issei holding the umbrella with Takahiro pressed to his side, feeling the warmth of the other through their clothes. Issei wishing he could slip in, when Takahiro rids himself of his clammy clothes and mumbles he’s going to take a hot shower to warm up.  _ Friends do not join their friends for a shower,  _ Issei thinks, making some of the tea he knows Takahiro likes the most, instead.

When they walk to the market one cold winter day, their breaths turning into puffs of white smoak in the cold air. Hanamaki wants so desperately to slip one of his hands along in Issei’s coat pocket, knowing that the other would warm up his freezing limb, being able to engulf his hand in his slightly bigger one.  _ Friends do not slip their hands into the pocket of the other to link their fingers together,  _ Takahiro thinks bitterly and keeps his hands to himself. 

When Matsukawa turns around and is busying himself with stirring the stew, trying to lose the image of Hanamaki’s shining eyes looking directly at him. Trying to forget Takahiro’s plush lips closing around the spoon Matsukawa had lifted to Hanamaki’s mouth making him try some of the food. He can feel intense eyes still staring at him but he doesn’t dare to return it.  _ Friends do not get lost in the other’s eyes, leaning closer until they can yearningly kiss their lips _ , Issei tells himself even though he wants to do just that. 

  
  


At some point, the bounds of their friendship seem solely visible to them, the lines long gone for everyone else but continuously tightening around them, and there they remain, paralysed by the ropes they knit, the boundaries they set.

Matsukawa’s colleagues frequently ask him about his boyfriend and if Hanamaki will join them for after-work drinks. The first time it happens he doesn’t even notice that Takahiro has been assigned the title of his boyfriend, he just tells them he’ll ask if he’d like to come. Only when one of his colleagues asks him how long they’ve been dating, he looks up from his phone in confusion.  _ “We’re just friends,” _ he tells them but invites Hanamaki anyway. Eventually, he gives up correcting them and just lets them call Takahiro his boyfriend. 

When they’re on a video call with Oikawa and Iwaizumi, Matsukawa and Hanamaki are bickering and pushing, both trying to fit into the screen and squeezing even closer together in the process. Unspoken words hang between them as Oikawa and Iwaizumi just watch them arranging their limbs and arguing about who should hold up the phone with a small smile. “Glad you finally got your shit together,” Oikawa says eventually. Both of them are apparently too occupied by trying to claim a bigger share of the screen and too distracted by the other’s closeness to pay Oikawa any mind. None of them notice how Iwaizumi just shakes his head, signaling to Oikawa that they actually have not gotten their shit together and remain as oblivious to the other’s feelings as ever. Slowly coming to terms with having a crush on your best friend for years, doesn’t necessarily entail the realisation that those feelings are reciprocated. The fear of ruining the friendship and connection they have built over the years is too big a risk.

  
  


Hanamaki gets a call from a nearby hospital, telling him that Matsukawa has been in a car accident. He doesn‘t hear anything beyond that. His mind is overflowing with horrible scenarios that are drowning every rational thought. By the time he is sprinting over to the hospital, he is convinced he missed his chance to spend the rest of his life with the person he loves. Tears clinging to the corners of his eyes, not yet falling.

A nurse leads him into a room where he spots Matsukawa sitting on an examination table, feet dangling in the air despite his height and long legs. Besides the bandage wrapped around his head he seems perfectly fine. “Sorry, they don’t wanna let me go home on my own,” Matsukawa says with an apologetic smile. 

A wave of relief washes over Hanamaki as he surges forward to press his lips against Matsukawa’s who stills in surprise. 

When Hanamaki pulls away to take a closer look at him, making sure he truly is alright, Issei looks at him stunned, then closes the gap between them to kiss Takahiro again. He spends half a second thinking that _friends should not be kissing each other_ _like that_ but suffocates the doubts and uncertainty when Hiro pulls him in even more to deepen the kiss, soft lips meeting his again and again. The kiss an attempt to convey all those held back feelings between them, the mutual fear to rip what they have built.

Both of them breaking free from the cocoon of webs enveloping them, no longer being chained down, breaking down the walls of boundaries they have built. Instead something stronger is constructed on its foundation as they walk home together, fingers linked, Hiro’s hand kept warm by Issei’s slightly bigger one, buried in the pocket of his coat. 

  
  


Matsukawa and Hanamaki are still best friends years later but they are lovers, too. No longer caught in the web that held them back but being supported by the links they weaved. Old strands strengthened, others broken and replaced by new fresher ones that yet need to be tested.

In the end, Hanamaki never moves out, never has to move into the spare room. They no longer care about keeping their distance, they no longer are afraid to cross a line that only exists in their minds. No longer wrapped in strands but finally able to move carefree again.

Takahiro has cooked dinner for their anniversary, he has gotten quite good over the years. They fall into comfortable silence, sipping on some wine after finishing the food. Hiro is affectionately looking at the black haired man next to him. 

“Do I have something on my face?” Issei smirks.

“Yes, you do,” Takahiro says, not allowing Issei to question it further when he leans over with a cheeky smile, gently kissing the other. The hand that does not hold Issei’s wine glass, burying itself into soft pink hair, slightly tugging.

“Marry me,” Takahiro whispers against Issei’s lips.

“Excuse me?” Issei asks, leaning back a bit to look at Hiro. Making sure he heard correctly.

“I said marry me,” Takahiro repeats. He is looking at Issei’s face, trying to decipher any slight emotion flitting over the other’s face. 

“I’m serious,” he adds when Issei remains silent. “You are my happiness, my comfort, my everything. I can’t imagine a life without you and I love you. So marry me?”

“Well that’s a bit embarrassing,” Issei responds after a while. “I’m not sure friends can marry each other.” Issei alludes to the fact that none of them officially asked the other to be his boyfriend even though they have been technically dating for years. They had a laugh about it when they realised and still sometimes refer to each other as best friends rather than boyfriend just to mess with their friends.

Takahiro chuckles, gets up and drops down on Issei’s lap, stealing a quick kiss. “Oh shut it, best friends can get married.”

The casualty of the topic barely hiding the excitement they both feel at spending the rest of their life at the other’s side. Issei wraps his arms around Takahiro, hugging him closer. 

“Let’s do it then.”

A new link spun between them, forming an entirely new connection in the web containing their friendship and their love.


End file.
